HS2 Opens Procurement

The official start of the competition for the £2.75bn contract to design, build and maintain Britain’s next generation of high speed trains was launched by HS2 Ltd earlier this month. The successful bidder will work with HS2 Ltd to develop approximately 60 state of the art trains to transport passengers across the country on the

Aging Fleets Trains on Britain’s railways are more than 20 years old on average, the highest figure for at least 15 years, according to analysis of rolling stock. Statistics from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) showed that trains were an average of 21 years old. This is the oldest they have been since

Apprenticeships TP Matrix has long recognised the potential negative effects caused by the skills gap in rail engineering. Over the next ten years, the National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering (NSARE) has forecast a skills shortage of over 8,000 jobs, specifically in traction and rolling stock. Many highly skilled engineers are set to retire over

Information on IRIS Promoted by UNIFE and supported by operators, system integrators and equipment manufacturers, IRIS (International Railway Industry Standard) complements the internationally recognized ISO 9001 quality standard introducing rail specific requirements. IRIS is modelled on similar quality standards already in place in the aerospace, and automotive industries and it aims at the avoidance of